The Little Chimp Societyhttps://www.thelittlechimpsociety.com
Tue, 30 Jan 2018 18:54:06 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.4https://www.thelittlechimpsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/cropped-lcs_app-1-3-75x75.jpgThe Little Chimp Societyhttps://www.thelittlechimpsociety.com
3232Reviving the Mail Me Art project…https://www.thelittlechimpsociety.com/2018/01/reviving-mailmeart/
https://www.thelittlechimpsociety.com/2018/01/reviving-mailmeart/#respondFri, 05 Jan 2018 16:19:39 +0000https://www.thelittlechimpsociety.com/?p=81513I’m going to be reviving the Mail Me Art project now that 2018 has arrived! I never actually put it to sleep, but it is time for a refresh and a large jolt of...

I’m going to be reviving the Mail Me Art project now that 2018 has arrived! I never actually put it to sleep, but it is time for a refresh and a large jolt of adrenaline. I never lost interest in the project and neither did the illustrators and artists who made it so special. It’s always been a passion project for me rather than a day job, but that did mean it took a backseat when I needed to dedicate more time to support our members and build our client base at Hire an Illustrator. I love all of the projects I do and businesses I run, but as you’re all aware there are only so many hours in a day and there’s never enough coffee in the pot.

The LCS (The Little Chimp Society) will be taking on another exhibition for HAI this year, which will be taking place in London in 2019. This will be a follow-up to “Showcase 100: Illustration” which happened what feels like a million years ago back in 2015. My plan is to piggy-back a new MMA project into the LCS-HAI collaboration and squeeze a postal art show into the gallery on alternative days or at the end of the week while we have the premium space.

I’ll be setting dates and booking the gallery next week. This should give us around 18 months lead time to get everyone organised and plan out all of the details. I will be looking for volunteers and people willing to give up a bit of their time to help me out, so let me know if you’d like to be more than a participant and I’ll add you to my list. Even if all you can do is spread the word with a share or a like, it’s all appreciated.

]]>https://www.thelittlechimpsociety.com/2018/01/reviving-mailmeart/feed/0Xmas List: Greg Simkins, Alex Pardee & The Little Friends of Printmakinghttps://www.thelittlechimpsociety.com/2017/12/simkins-pardee-little-friends/
https://www.thelittlechimpsociety.com/2017/12/simkins-pardee-little-friends/#respondThu, 14 Dec 2017 16:39:43 +0000https://www.thelittlechimpsociety.com/?p=80674Here are a few of the awesome things we’ve been checking out recently. We will share more as time allows, but if you don’t hear from us before the New Year, have a brilliant...

]]>https://www.thelittlechimpsociety.com/2017/12/simkins-pardee-little-friends/feed/0Don’t Forget to Promote Yourselfhttps://www.thelittlechimpsociety.com/2017/09/promote-yourself/
https://www.thelittlechimpsociety.com/2017/09/promote-yourself/#respondThu, 28 Sep 2017 12:05:01 +0000https://www.thelittlechimpsociety.com/?p=80565It’s very easy as a creative individual who loves what they do to forget that they’re running a business, and that for a business to survive, it needs to make money. Producing beautiful illustrations...

It’s very easy as a creative individual who loves what they do to forget that they’re running a business, and that for a business to survive, it needs to make money. Producing beautiful illustrations and artwork are all well and good, but even a starving artist has the occasional exhibition to sell their work so they can put food on the table… and buy paint. I’m in a perpetual state of disbelief at how many students with a degree in illustration complete their course with no idea of how to set themselves up as a freelancer and run a business. Getting an in-house job as an illustrator is quite rare these days, and if you do manage to find a position, there will normally be an in-house style which you have to abide by. This means that for the illustrator’s own style to shine through they would still need to be taking on freelance work if they wanted to build a portfolio that represents them rather than the company they work for. I may be wrong (and I’m certainly not always right!), and some university courses may cover this stuff as I know some amazing lecturers who do everything they can to prepare students for the market place, but as far as I’m aware, there’s not normally a module focusing specifically on tax, accounting, client relationships, self promotion, and advertising. Even contracts and licensing, along with keeping proper records, is barely touched on in many cases.

Getting an agent isn’t a way to solve a lack of experience or business know-how either. Agents range from one extreme to another and the better ones are less likely to take on students unless there’s something really special about their artwork. The best way to look at agents is, if you’re a successful illustrator, having an agent makes sense as it will allow you to grow, manage more clients and take on larger jobs. If you’re after an agent because you don’t have enough work, you’re not doing it right and an agent isn’t going to solve any shortcomings.

I believe knuckling down and teaching yourself how to run a business is essential to becoming a successful illustrator. Just look at the artists who have made something of themselves over the last couple decades. It’s not just down to talent; they appear to know what they’re doing, because they do. They offer a service and they know how to sell their work along with communicating with their clients. Plus more importantly, they get paid because they know how to manage a business.

I run Hire an Illustrator and I think any illustrator worth their salt should be a member of the service… I’m not just saying that. To run a business you need to promote it and get advice when you need it, and that’s where HAI comes in. Being part of a thriving community is also a plus. Additionally, for those who didn’t learn how to run a business at university, there is “Make Your Art Work” from artist Marc Scheff. It’s basically a bootcamp for kickstarting a creative career, and well worth checking out. Marc and his partner in crime Lauren Panepinto have a long history of putting freelancers on the right path and I’ve never heard anything but good things about them.

]]>https://www.thelittlechimpsociety.com/2017/09/promote-yourself/feed/0Faeries of the Faultlineshttps://www.thelittlechimpsociety.com/2017/06/faeries-of-the-faultlines/
Tue, 27 Jun 2017 17:00:04 +0000https://www.thelittlechimpsociety.com/?p=80552We were going to publish a really nice article to help our friend Iris Compiet get the word out about her Kickstarter project, and hopefully find her a few additional backers. I’m not sure...

We were going to publish a really nice article to help our friend Iris Compiet get the word out about her Kickstarter project, and hopefully find her a few additional backers. I’m not sure we need to now… And all we can say is… Wow! I think at this point after only seven days it’s best for us to sit back and simple enjoy Iris’ breathtaking artwork and very successful book project. Go Iris! You’ll be at 100k before you know it.

If you want a copy of the Faeries of the Faultlines, join us and a thousand others and back the project at bit.ly/faeriesfaultlines. We can’t wait for the Kickstarter to end, so Iris can finish the book and start fulfilling orders. March 2018 can’t come soon enough.

]]>Scott Dubar’s Tips for 365 Drawing Challengeshttps://www.thelittlechimpsociety.com/2017/05/scott-dubars-tips-for-365-drawing-challenges/
Tue, 16 May 2017 14:45:11 +0000https://www.thelittlechimpsociety.com/?p=80530Scott Dubar posted his top 5 tips back in April on how to complete a 365 day drawing challenge after completing one himself. For most I’d assume it sounds like an impossible task especially...

Scott Dubar posted his top 5 tips back in April on how to complete a 365 day drawing challenge after completing one himself. For most I’d assume it sounds like an impossible task especially when you’ve got impending deadlines and what not, but with Scott’s tips you’ll be well on your way to becoming the quick-thinking illustrator you always wanted to be.

]]>Pizzeria Disgusto – a new book by Michael Hackerhttps://www.thelittlechimpsociety.com/2017/05/pizzeria-disgusto/
Fri, 12 May 2017 15:05:23 +0000https://www.thelittlechimpsociety.com/?p=80520From the freaky and wonderful mind of Michael Hacker comes Pizzeria Disgusto. His Kickstarter campaign is at full speed now and it’s worth checking out. We’ve been a fan of Michael’s work for years,...

From the freaky and wonderful mind of Michael Hacker comes Pizzeria Disgusto. His Kickstarter campaign is at full speed now and it’s worth checking out. We’ve been a fan of Michael’s work for years, we even hired him to create our Sasquatch MC Hoodie for our apparel brand Saltopus many moons ago. His illustrations and humorous style are just too much fun not to love.

If Pizzeria Disgusto tickles your twisted sense of humour and makes you giggle when you know you probably shouldn’t, you can back the project by making a pledge. We can’t wait to get our hands on a copy of the book and some awesome stickers once the campaign ends!

Following on from Drawn + Drafted‘s stonkin’ live podcast with Thomas James, they’ve got a new ProjectCast coming up with Kyle T. Webster (Kyle’s Brushes). It’ll be broadcast live on Monday 15th May 10:00 PM GMT (London) and you can reserve a spot here.

Not to be missed, Kyle is an international award-winning illustrator who also happens to be the founder of kylebrush.com, the world’s best-selling Photoshop brushes.

We’ve always supported amazing illustrators and artists by buying their products and books if we can, but we know from personal experience (Mail Me Art, Showcase 100, Saltopus) what a huge financial burden it is to produce anything more than a couple of dozen copies of a product. Even then, if you were to sell every copy of your “short run” (which will normally be POD if you’re lacking funds) you’ll still be out of pocket unless you are printing and selling several thousand copies when you take all the costs into account.

Emily Hare and Iris Compiet, two artists we love and admire are in this boat at the moment! Emily currently has an awesome Kickstarter campaign on the go (ends May 11th) and Iris has one starting in June. Kickstarter is an excellent way to support the artists you love and get something in return. Seeing artists like Emily Hare have the funds upfront (20k and counting) to be able to produce her Strangehollow book is fantastic! I know Kickstarter doesn’t work for everyone, but being able to secure your customers before investing several thousand into production is a godsend for illustrators who create beautiful work, but don’t otherwise have the funds or assurances to bring it to the masses. Illustrators don’t want your charity, what they want to do is create and share their work by getting their products to market to support themselves, like any other business.

If you enjoy an artist’s work and they’re running a Kickstarter campaign or selling products, support them by making a purchase or pledge. Doing this allows them to do what they do and continue to create new and wonderful illustrations for your enjoyment.

]]>Call for Papers: ICON10 Education Symposiumhttps://www.thelittlechimpsociety.com/2017/04/icon10-symposium/
Sun, 30 Apr 2017 13:45:00 +0000https://www.thelittlechimpsociety.com/?p=80493The ICON10 Education Symposium seeks to explore ways in which educators can effectively address the myriad changes in the methods of teaching, creating and delivering illustration now and in the coming decades. The digital...

The ICON10 Education Symposium seeks to explore ways in which educators can effectively address the myriad changes in the methods of teaching, creating and delivering illustration now and in the coming decades. The digital realm has altered not only means of production but distribution channels. Teachers of illustration must address the needs of establishing a fundamental foundation as well as cultivating a nimble, fearless curiosity for themselves and in their students. How? Discuss. – Marty Blake

Symposium Date: July 11–12, 2018Venue: Detroit at (or nearby) the Book Cadillac Westin HotelDate for Abstract Submissions: July 15, 2017

]]>Sue Todd: Spotlight Interview via HAIhttps://www.thelittlechimpsociety.com/2017/03/sue-todd-spotlight-interview-via-hai/
Wed, 29 Mar 2017 16:33:24 +0000https://www.thelittlechimpsociety.com/?p=80485We’ve not done an LCS interview for a long time. Our last one was actually with Paul Shipper in 2015. We do have several incomplete interviews that seem to be gathering dust, but we’ve...

We’ve not done an LCS interview for a long time. Our last one was actually with Paul Shipper in 2015. We do have several incomplete interviews that seem to be gathering dust, but we’ve always had a zero pressure policy on completing them. When we get round to it, we will pick up the torch and start interviewing our favourite illustrators and creatives again. In the meantime, we have a lovely batch of short spotlight interviews with some wonderful illustrators over on Hire an Illustrator. The most recent one was with the talented Sue Todd and there are plenty more to check out. What’s your favourite sandwich filling? LOL.